{"id":1400,"date":"2019-11-13T13:21:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T18:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/?page_id=1400"},"modified":"2022-03-01T09:53:52","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:53:52","slug":"discovernewlifeinjesus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/discovernewlifeinjesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover New Life in Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jesus loves you. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. He does not simply want you to go to heaven when you die, He wants to BE WITH YOU in heaven through eternity. <\/em>There is one thing however that separates us from God. That one thing is sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible describes sin in many ways. Most simply, sin is our failure to measure up to God\u2019s holiness and His righteous standards. We sin by things we do, choices we make, attitudes we show, and thoughts we entertain. We also sin when we fail to do right things. The Bible affirms our own experience \u2013 \u201cthere is none righteous, not even one.\u201d No matter how good we try to be, none of us does right things all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People tend to divide themselves into groups- good people and bad people. But God says that every person who has ever lived is a sinner, and that any sin separates us from God. No matter how we might classify ourselves, this includes you and me. We are all sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.\u201d Romans 3:23<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people are confused about the way to God. Some think they will be punished or rewarded according to how good they are. Some think they should make things right in their lives before they try to come to God. Others find it hard to understand how Jesus could love them when other people don\u2019t seem to. But I have great news for you! God DOES love you! More than you can ever imagine! And there\u2019s nothing you can do to make Him stop! Yes, our sins demand punishment, the punishment of death and separation from God, but because of His great love, God sent His only Son, Jesus to die for our sins and to take that punishment for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.\u201d Romans 5:8<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For you to come to God you have to get rid of your sin problem. But, in our own strength, not one of us can do this! You can\u2019t make yourself right with God by being a better person. Only God can rescue us from our sins. He is willing to do this not because of anything you can offer Him, but JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.\u201d Titus 3:5<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s God\u2019s grace that allows you to come to Him \u2013 not your efforts to \u201cclean up your life\u201d or work your way to Heaven. You can\u2019t earn it. It\u2019s a free gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith \u2013 and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God \u2013 not by works, so that no one can boast.\u201d Ephesians 2:8-9<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Paid the Price<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For you to come to God, the penalty for your sin must be paid. God\u2019s gift to you is His son, Jesus, who paid the debt for you when He died on the Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.\u201d Romans 6:23<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus paid the price for your sin and mine by giving His life on a cross at a place called Calvary, just outside of the city walls of Jerusalem in ancient Israel. God brought Jesus back to life from the dead. He provided the way for you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. When we realize how deeply our sin grieves the heart of God and how desperately we need a Savior, we are ready to receive God\u2019s offer of salvation. To admit we are sinners means turning away from our sin and selfishness and turning to follow Jesus. The Bible word for this is \u201crepentance\u201d \u2013 to change our thinking about how grievous sin is, so our thinking is in line with God\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accepting the Gift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is left for you to do is to accept the gift that Jesus is holding out for you right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you confess with your mouth, \u201cJesus is Lord,\u201d and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.\u201d Romans 10:9-10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God says that if you believe in His son, Jesus, you can live forever with Him in glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.\u201d John 3:16<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Are you ready?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to accept the gift of eternal life that Jesus is offering you right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s review what this commitment involves, it can be stated as simply as ABC!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A – I Acknowledge <\/strong>I am a sinner in need of a Savior \u2013 this is to repent or turn away from sin, and to recognize there is nothing that I can do to save myself from my sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B – I Believe<\/strong> in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead \u2013 this is to trust that Jesus was victorious over sin and death, and that He paid the full penalty for my sins. It is to trust in Jesus\u2019 promise that he will do for me what I cannot do for myself \u2013 take away my sins.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C – I Confess<\/strong> Jesus as my Lord and my God \u2013 this is to surrender control of my life to Jesus. It is a Commitment<\/strong> to strive to follow in the ways of God which leads to a new life of inner peace and joy that no one can take away from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Suggested Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If it is your sincere desire to receive Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, then talk to God from your heart. Here\u2019s a suggested prayer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life. In gratitude for what you have done, help me to live my life giving honor to you.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Us<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have questions or concerns you would like help with, please call, email or write and let us know. We are here to help you understand the love that Jesus is offering you for free, no matter who or where you are. If you have placed your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please let us know because we want to rejoice in what God has done in your life and help you to grow spiritually. We also encourage you to find a Bible-believing church<\/a> where you can grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord and be encouraged by fellow believers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jesus loves you. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. He does not simply want you to go to heaven when you die, He wants to BE WITH YOU in heaven through eternity. There is one thing however that separates us from God. That one thing is sin. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1400","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1400"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2071,"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1400\/revisions\/2071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/midmarylandba.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}